THE LUGER SAILBOAT MOORING - SERVING LUGER SAILORS AND THE WEB SINCE 1999 AT HOME PORT WWW.LUGERBOATS.COM

Have you ever wonder about the chart and area used as the backdrop on Luger's 35th anniversary catalog - the 1987 edition?  Here's a first-hand report:

Information submitted by Mike M.

          The chart on the catalogue shows the north side of the mouth of Tampa Bay in Florida.  The Sunshine Skyway bridge is wiped out by the vertical line of photos -- see the road coming down on the left side where the upper and second photo meet. The Islands shown on the back cover are Mullet Key, Cabbage Key, St. Christopher Key and St. Jean Key.
          St. Christopher Key and Mullet Key are the home of Fort Desota county park and camp ground.  There is a large launch ramp at the north end of St. Jean Key.  A causeway was constructed to join St. Christopher and St. Jean keys, and the camping area is split between both Keys.  We spent many winter holidays at the camp ground - a very nice, clean park.

Dictionary definitions "S to Z" to assist the Luger sailor...

   Sheet - cool, damp, salty night covering.

   Swell - a wave that's just great.

   Square Rigger - a rigger over 30.

   Tack - A maneuver the skipper uses   
   when telling the crew what they did
   wrong without getting them mad.

Yawl - A sailboat from Texas, with some good bourbon stored down yonder in the cabin.

Zephyr - Warm, pleasant breeze.  Named after the mythical Greek god of wishful thinking, false hopes, and unreliable forecasts.

Information relayed by Ren Luger

          Ren and Orm Luger, as well as other family members and friends,  were often shown demonstrating the Luger powerboats in the company's early catalogs.  Testing the capabilities of their powerboats was one of the big benefits of doing "research and design" for their company, and photographs conveyed the enthusiasm for their products.  Luger Industries' first catalog (1952) featured a cover photo of younger brother, Orm, putting a Luger Runabout through its paces.  Later, Ren was pictured demonstrating a 4-seater Runabout on the covers of other 1950's-era catalogs.
          Even a photo of Ren's children, Debbie and Tim, was used.  They were shown water skiing behind one of Luger's houseboats - demonstrating the houseboat's power and the planing capabilities of its V-bottom hull.

          Ren Luger was also the photographer for many of the full color sailing pictures used in later Luger catalogs.  In addition, he worked directly with the catalog's printer to insure its layout, content and design effectively represented the company and its products.

Sometimes we are lucky enough to know our lives have been changed, to discard the old and embrace the new and run headlong down an immutable course.
It happened to me  ...on that summer's day when my eyes were opened to the sea.

Quote attributed to Jacques Yves-Cousteau

Owner registration for Gary S.

          Four years ago I noticed a newspaper ad for a 26 foot boat hull. That's it, just the hull.  A fellow had worked at the Luger factory (Minneapolis) and had gotten it (as a second I believe) and had used it for a swimming pool for many years!
          I picked it up for $500, plus $300 more for a mast, boom and mainsail.  I couldn't get anything done on it that year due to time constraints.

          Early the next year I saw another Luger ad - this time for a Southwind 21. I purchased it for $1,400 with trailer.  I was at least the third owner and virtually nothing had been done on it.  It did have most of the parts and instructions.  That summer I lived and breathed fiber-glass and after 250 hours (not the 40 hours the Luger company advertised!) I had it ready to launch. I had 3 weeks of summer left and enjoyed it very much. 

Owner registration for Paul M.

          My Leeward is a classic - a 1970.  I'm the original owner/builder (owned the boat since new).  My Dad bought the Luger kit, and we spent that winter assembling the many pieces in our unheated St. Paul garage.  I was assigned the unpleasant task of shimmying into tight spaces (eg., under the forward deck) to apply the various screws, parts and gooey fiberglass strips to every square inch of the hull, sides and decking.  After four months we wheeled the shiny new craft out of the garage on a bright spring day in 1971.  My father named it "Altair" after the brightest star in the northern sky, and launched it on the nearby St. Croix River.
          After the first summer, the novelty wore off and we seldom used the little craft. At the change of seasons, it became increasingly burdensome to clean, repair and even sail Altair.  After I went to college, the boat sat neglected in the marina. After graduating, getting a job and learning the value of money (by earning it), I began to look at Altair in a different light. Several years passed and I kept thinking about the ugly boat, now sitting in perpetual dry dock at the marina.
          Then my beautiful wife and I had three kids and gradually I came to realize I could proudly point to the little Luger and say, "I did

this and it's mine" and pass it along to my children.
          I spent the summers of 1982-83 gutting the poor craft.  The rotted wooden floorboards, trim and accessories were replicated. Damaged stringers were replaced. The unsightly seam at the bottom of the hull sides was carefully epoxied to form a single, smooth surface, made nearly perfect after I sprayed several coats of rock-hard Pettit polyurethane paint over the entire hull. The deteriorated blue gel coat was vigorously reconditioned with rubbing compound, waxed and rubbed again.
          I replaced the mast, bent at a twenty degree angle when the roof of a storage building collapsed. I bought new sails and replaced the aluminum trim around the deck lip. I also summoned the courage to refiberglass the worst sections (even in the claustrophobic space underneath the decking).
          During the past 15 years, Altair has given us many wonderful experiences and has become a fixture in our lives.  Fresh paint, new lines, and a like-new, sparkling white hull topped with a shiny blue deck and cuddy - - the new Altair is glorious still.  On its trailer it has become a "float" in our neighborhood's July 4th parade each year.  The original red, white and blue colors make it a perfect symbol for Independence Day.

Up anchor! Up anchor!
          Set sail and away!
          The ventures of dreamland
                     Are thine for a day.

Quote attributed to Silas Weir Mitchell

Excerpt of Oct 2002 message from Lee Wangstad

          "These guys really had a handle on the market that they were selling to. Off hand, I can't think of anyone in this market that were as successful as they were and managed to change with that market as it hit it's ups and downs as well as they did. I've a lot of respect for them both and their organization."

Note:  Lee Wangstad was referring to Ren and Orm Luger, and wrote the above quote after he interviewed the brothers for a 1999 ABSL article, Luger Industries - A Minnesota Legend.  The article described their company's history and eventual advancement into the fiberglass powerboat market.